On December 27, 2015, Air China announced at a ceremony held at T3 of Beijing Capital International Airport that it would start China’s first route to Cuba.

The inaugural flight will depart from Beijing for Havana, the capital of Cuba, with a stopover in Montreal. In attendance were distinguished guests from the Cuban Embassy in China, Beijing Capital International Airport and Air China.

At the launch ceremony, Cuba Mr. Alberto Blanco extended his warm and deep congratulations on the start of the Beijing-Havana service and expressed the hope that this first ever route will benefit the two peoples and contribute to the social and economic development of the two countries.

Air China Vice Chairman Ms. Wang Yinxiang said in her speech that in recent years, the economic and trade ties between China and Cuba have become increasingly closer. The Beijing-Montreal-Havana service has filled a longstanding gap in the aviation market between China and Cuba and the Caribbean, and will further promote the economic, trade, cultural and tourism development of the two regions, and offer more convenient options for travelers.

In 2015, Air China has started 29 international routes, and now the carrier’s route network has been expanded to all the six continents of the world. The Beijing-Montreal-Havana service represents an important move of the carrier to continuously expand its global route network and cement its presence in the Americas. Currently, Air China serves 10 destinations in Americas including New York (J.F.Kennedy Airport, Newark Airport), Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Vancouver, Montreal, Hawaii, Havana and Sao Paulo. The carrier’s route network now covers the east and west coasts of the United States and Canada and has extended to South America and the Caribbean.